You Are Loved
by recareta
Summary: What would've happened if Emma had chosen a different course of action and talked to Regina before she got in her car and left Storybrooke? This is just a little something I had on my mind ever since I watched the mid-season finale.


**This is just a little something I had on my mind ever since I watched the mid-season finale (a month ago! – I'm freaking out and we are not even halfway through the hiatus). I hope you like it.**

**I'll post a new chapter of The Light One either tomorrow or the day after. I promise. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or any of the characters.**

**All mistakes are mine.**

**Enjoy!**

**You Are Loved**

"… a good life for you… and Henry. You'll have never given him up." – Regina said with tears in her eyes and Emma tried to swallow back the sob but couldn't.

"You'll have always been together." – even Regina's voice broke at this.

"You would do that?" – Emma asked with a voice that didn't quite sound like her own, she sounded small and vulnerable. She really couldn't believe how much the woman had changed. Before, Regina had done everything in her power to keep Henry with her, but now… Now not only she was letting Henry go, but she was giving Emma the life she had always wanted. A life with Henry.

"When I stop Pan's curse, and you cross that town line, you'll have the life you always wanted." – it was like the woman read her mind. The life she had always wanted. But was it the life she wanted to have now? No, no it wasn't.

"Now go." – Regina said quietly while looking at Henry – "There isn't much time left, the curse will be here any minute." – she finished and hugged Henry goodbye. The look on Regina's face as she kissed their son's temple broke Emma's heart. There was so much pain there, so much regret, so much love. Regina was not only saying goodbye to the son she had raised for ten years, she was saying goodbye to the only person she thought loved her. She was wrong, Henry wasn't the only person that loved Regina.

Regina let go of Henry and stepped aside. Mary Margaret – her mom came and gave her a kiss on the forehead, but the only thing that Emma could think about was Regina. She looked at the woman over her mother's shoulder and saw that she was still standing strait and kept her head high, but her eyes revealed everything she was feeling. Emma thought that she could feel the pain and the hurt radiating off of her. She turned around after letting her mom go to get in her car, but stopped after the first step towards it. She turned around again and looked at the green cloud. It was far enough, she had enough time. She quickly went to Regina.

"Emma what are you doing? You have to get Henry out of here."

"I know, and I will." – Emma took another look at the cloud approaching them – "There is enough time."

"Enough time for what Emma?" – Regina asked confused.

"Remember when we were in Pan's cave after he took Henry's heart?"

"Yes I do." – Regina said, still with a confused look in her eyes – "What about it?"

"Remember what you said?" – when she didn't get an answer she continued – " You said that I had Neal – a person in my life and Hook – a pirate pinning for me." – she stopped for a moment and looked right in Regina's eyes – "And you said that you had no one else except for Henry." – now it was Emma who took Regina's hand in her own – "You were wrong, you have me too." – she said quietly still looking in her eyes.

"Emma…" – Regina gasped but she cut her off.

"I want you Regina, **you**, not Neal and not Hook. **You**." – Emma said confidently and watched as a tear fell from one of Regina's eyes. She wiped it off with her free gloved hand and frowned. She wanted to touch the raven haired beauty without anything interfering, she wanted to feel her soft skin, so she took of her gloves and held the woman's head in her hands. Regina took hold of her wrists and tried to push Emma's hands away, but Emma didn't let her and kept her hands there. Regina must have realized that Emma's hands weren't going to move, so she stopped the struggle and kept hers on Emma's wrists.

"Emma don't do this, not now." – Regina said as tears ran freely on her face – "Please." – she begged whimpering – "Not now. Why would you do this now?"

"Because I want you to know that you are loved. You **are** loved Regina." – Emma said and she couldn't keep her tears anymore, so she let them fall from her eyes as well. "I …" – she stammered a little bit and closed her eyes to gather some courage. She opened them, wiped the tears from Regina's face with the thumbs of the hands that still hadn't moved from their earlier position and looked at Regina - "**I love you.**" – she said, her voice not wavering even a little.

She heard gasps and murmurs from the people around them, but none of that mattered now, none of them mattered now, all that mattered was Regina and Regina's response. Even before the woman whose head was still held by her hands spoke, she knew her answer, she could see it in the loving way Regina was looking at her.

Regina squeezed her wrists and whispered to Emma – "I love you too." – and then Emma closed the distance between them.

The kiss was so sweet and tender it melted her heart. They poured everything that they felt in the kiss, every ounce of love they felt for each other. It was so right, it was like she had been missing something her whole life and like she had finally found it. It felt so real and so surreal at the same time. It was beautiful. She had never been kissed like that, she had never felt like she was feeling in that moment. She had never felt so loved.

And then it happened…

There was a massive energy outburst from their bodies. It was so strong that everyone around them were forced to take a few steps backwards. And then she heard everyone gasp. Emma heard her mother whisper – "Oh my God." And then her father repeated the same phrase. And then everyone else.

They broke the kiss to see what was happening and saw that there no longer was a green cloud coming towards them. They were no longer in danger.

"What happened?" – Emma asked.

"You broke it." – she heard her mother say – "You broke the curse before it even got to us."

"We did?" – she asked turning to Regina.

"Yes, my love, we did." – Regina said with a smile so bright it lit Emma's whole word and the way she said 'my love' warmed her heart all over again. She never believed in true love, not even after all the time she had spent with these fairytale characters who were all about true love, but those two words made her believe. Made her believe that this was the person she was supposed to be with, that this was her other half.

"But how is that possible? We weren't cursed yet?" – she asked confused.

"I don't know Emma. I really don't."

"Well I guess our love is that strong huh?" – Emma said with a smile.

"I guess it is." – Regina smiled back and gave Emma a quick peck.

"Well if there is no curse, that means that me and Henry…"

"Yes it does…" – Regina said and took Emma's hand while extending the other for Henry to take – "…Now let's go home."

Henry quickly ran towards them and hugged the both. When the hug ended he looked up at Regina and asked – "Mom, will ma live with us now?"

Regina looked at him and then at Emma. She answered his question while holding Emma's gaze – "Only if she wants to."

"Yes, yes I do." – Emma said looking at Regina and then repeated Regina's earlier statement – "Now let's go home."

* * *

**I have to share my family's reactions on this episode (yes my whole family watches OUAT). We were having a family dinner the other day and after it we decided to have a movie night. My parents and my sister said that they haven't watched the last two episodes and although I have watched the mid-season finale like four times I agreed with the plan. **

**I'm talking about the last scene when Hook knocks on Emma's door. Here's how it went…**

**They hear the knock and my mother turns to me – "It's Regina right?"**

**My father – "Of course it is. Who else could it be?"**

**My sister – "Yes, yes, yes, yes…"**

**Emma opens the door and they see that it isn't Regina on the other side…**

**My sister – "No, no, no, no… Why!?"**

**My mother – "Oh come oooooon… Really!?"**

**My father – "Booo…" – he honest to God booed. **

**I was like – 'welcome aboard shipmates' :D**


End file.
